The Give Where You Live Foundation is proud to announce a new strategic partnership to support the launch of the Geelong Zero project to help reduce homelessness and end rough sleeping in Geelong by 2025.
The partnership with Neami National, who is leading the Geelong Zero project, is funded under the Give Where You Live Foundation’s new Partnership Impact Fund.
“We know when people don’t have access to safe and secure housing it can significantly impact their ability to find work as well as affect their health and wellbeing,” said Bill Mithen, CEO, of the Give Where You Live Foundation.
“Thanks to the generosity of the community, the Give Where You Live Foundation is very proud to be providing funding to support the launch of the Geelong Zero Project. This Project will help to understand the number of people in our community who are sleeping rough so that we can reduce homelessness and reach the goal of eliminating rough sleeping by 2025,” Bill Mithen, CEO of the Give Where You Live Foundation said.
Bringing together local community organisations the GeelongZero project seeks to provide outreach to people sleeping rough within the Geelong area and clearly identify their needs
Organisations involved in the project include the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, the City of Greater Geelong, Victoria Police, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-op, genU, The Salvation Army, Bethany Community Support, Haven Home Safe, Volunteering Geelong, Lazarus Community Centre, and The Outpost.
The project officially launched during the projects Community Connections Week held from 10-14 October. During this week, volunteers worked alongside the partnering organisations to provide assertive outreach to people sleeping rough within the Geelong area to clearly identify and record their service needs.
The data collected will form a real-time ‘By Name List’ to provide ongoing support, collaborative case coordination, and advocacy for people in our region who are rough sleeping.
Given the complexities of homelessness, an understanding of the problem is needed to end homelessness, said Alistair Vick, Service Manager- Towards Home Plus Geelong.
“Homelessness is a dynamic problem, so we need dynamic solutions to end it,” says Alastair Vick, Service Manager – Towards Home Plus Geelong.
“The Functional Zero model works to ensure that someone’s experience of sleeping rough is rare, brief, and nonrecurring by quickly supporting them into secure housing. Achieving and sustaining
Functional Zero for one population, such as people sleeping rough, is the first step toward building a system that can end all forms of homelessness,” said Alastair.
Find out more about the Geelong Zero Project.
Find out more about the Foundation’s Partnership Impact Fund.